https : *⋆❝ sadiesinkhergf ! ❞
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🪷 . . . chapter fourteen
┈➤ 𝗚𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗕𝗢𝗫, jj maybank
❦༄

🪷 chapter fourteen !
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AFTER DROPPING SARAH OFF AT her house and assuring her best friend that everything would be fine, valentina drove home, her mind swirling. sarah had looked so hurt, and the girl couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for not being able to do more. but what could she do? she'd already taken on john b earlier, warning him to get his shit together. it wasn't her job to fix everyone else's mess.

as she pulled into her driveway, the weight of the day pressed down on her, but there was little time to dwell. she stepped inside the sprawling estate, the heavy door clicking shut behind her, and the quiet hum of voices caught her attention as she moved through the house, drawing her toward the study where her father and ward often discussed business.

the door was cracked open, and she could hear her father's voice, low and serious.

"...the gold, ward. you know it's still out there,"

her heart skipped a beat, her body tensing as she instinctively ducked behind the partially open door to the study. she held her breath, straining to catch more of their conversation.

"john b asked sarah for a map of tannyhill," ward's reply was quieter, but she caught the tail end of it. "i think the kid is closer to finding it than you think."

"at least now i can keep an eye on him." her father laughed, taking a sip of his rum. "why else do you think i brought him here."

"that boy has no idea what he's dealing with. he's reckless, just like big john was." ward responded, his tone equally grave.

valentina's pulse quickened. gold? john b?  she tried to process their words, her mind racing. why were they even talking about him?

"i don't care how reckless he is," her father said sharply. "if he finds it, it could ruin everything. and we both know he's not working alone."

"his little group of pogues," ward said with disdain. "they're involving our daughters, louis. we can't let that happen."

valentina's stomach twisted. she felt like she should leave, but her feet wouldn't move. she strained to hear more, but before another word could be said, her father's voice rose, sharper now.

"valentina."

her heart dropped as she realized she'd been caught. schooling her features into a calm expression, she stepped into the room, her heels clicking on the hardwood. she plastered a warm, forced, smile on her face.

"hi, daddy," she greeted sweetly, walking over to kiss his cheek. it was all for show- reputation mattered above everything else, and she knew how to play her part. "hi ward," she added, nodding at the man.

both men watched her closely, their expressions unreadable.

"what brings you here, darling?" her father asked, his tone light but with an undercurrent of suspicion.

"i just got home. thought I'd come say hi. didn't mean to interrupt anything." she laughed softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

her father's lips pressed into a thin line as he exchanged a glance with ward. after a moment, he gave her a tight smile.

"well, since you're here..." he trailed off, his tone softening slightly, though it still carried an edge. "have you seen john b after you two left this morning?"

she blinked, her head tilting in mock confusion. "john b?" she repeated, her brows knitting together. "no. why?"

"we heard he's been following his old mans footsteps- looking for the gold, but you wouldn't know about that, would you?"

"what? no, why would i?" she replied, forcing a breezy tone. she stepped closer and gave her father a side hug, the gesture more mechanical than heartfelt. "i have everything i need here. i don't care about that stupid gold."

her father's arm wrapped around her, but his hand gripped her arm tightly, just enough to make her wince. the silent warning was clear- he knew more than he was letting on.

valentina swallowed hard, her smile freezing in place as ward, oblivious to the tension, nodded approvingly.

"good," he said, leaning forward. "that treasure is bad news anyway. it''s ruined lives."

her father loosened his grip but didn't move away, his gaze still pinned on her.

"absolutely," she agreed with a nod, her voice light despite the tension clawing at her insides. "i'm staying far away from all of that."

"smart girl." ward remarked, reclining in his chair.

"always." her father murmured, finally letting her go.

the girl excused herself as casually as she could, walking out of the study with her heart pounding. once she was out of sight, she leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath. her father knew something- or at least suspected- and it was only a matter of time before he put the pieces together.

i have to be more careful.

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"uhm, what the fuck are you talking about?" valentina muttered, peeking through the crack of her barely open door.

"we want to hang out with you," john b explained, his tone almost too casual as he shrugged. she arched a skeptical brow, her grip still firm on the doorknob.

"who's we?"

"jj, pope, and me," he quipped with an exaggerated smile, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"what about sarah?" she squinted at him, finding the situation increasingly odd after what happened yesterday.

"she's already on her way here. she agreed," he answered in confidence, and she thought for a moment, weighing her options, before sighing in defeat and waving her hand dismissively.

"whatever. wait outside."

before she could fully close the door, the boy pushed it open again and slipped inside with ease.

she groaned, glaring at him, but didn't bother to protest further as she went back to standing in front of her mirror, clad only in a baby pink bikini with a dainty bow in the center.

john b grinned, throwing himself onto her bed uninvited, clearly enjoying the lack of hostility, before she turned to him, holding up three different bottoms over her hips.

"okay, which one?" she asked, glancing between him and the options she held, and he tilted his head, pretending to deliberate like it was a life-or-death decision, before  finally pointed at a pair of layered lace ballet shorts.

"those. i've never seen you in shorts before."

"yeah, that's cause i hate them." she mumbled, but grabbed the shorts nonetheless. she put them on, smoothing them over her hips and checking herself out in the mirror. she turned from side to side, scrutinizing the fit, and then shrugged. "hm. i might take it back- they're kinda cute."

as she accessorized with a dainty waist chain and a stack of bangles on her arm, she turned to john b for approval, striking a pose with her hands on her hips.

"what do you think?"

he squinted, tapping his chin as if deep in thought. "you're missing something," he muttered, standing up and suddenly digging through her closet.

"hey!" she started to scold him, but her words trailed off when he pulled out a baby pink belt with a gold buckle, holding it up triumphantly.

"here. matches your bikini top," he said proudly. valentina stared at the belt, then back at him, before taking it from his hand. a laugh of disbelief escaped her lips. "i didn't realize you had taste, b."

he grinned smugly, leaning against the wall. "i'm full of surprises."

the sound of a car pulling into the driveway snapped valentina and john b out of their banter. sarah emerged, sunglasses perched atop her head, and she smiled when she saw them, but it was tinged with hesitation.

"ready to go?" she asked, trying to sound upbeat.

valentina grabbed her bag, adjusting her waist chain as she walked out the door. "yeah, let's get this over with," she teased, brushing past john b and making sarah chuckle.

the trio piled into the twinkie, the drive filled with a mix of playful jabs and an oddly comforting silence- along with some complains from valentina about how fucking dirty the van was.

when they arrived at the dock, the hms pogue was already bobbing gently in the water. john b led the way, helping both girls onto the boat before hopping on himself.

the boat ride was serene, with the marsh stretching endlessly around them. valentina sat against the railing, her hair catching in the breeze, while sarah reclined with her legs stretched out.

"almost there," the boy announced, cutting the engine as they drifted toward a bigger boat tethered nearby- the alp, and valentina's brows furrowed in confusion until she saw a familiar figure standing on the other vessel.

jj was leaning casually against the side of the boat, shirtless, his tanned skin glinting under the sun, and a smirk stretched across his face as he watched them approach.

his smirk deepened as he caught valentina's gaze lingering on him. she didn't even try to hide it, her eyes dragging over his chest, shoulders, and arms with unabashed interest.

"like what you see?" he teased, his biceps flexing slightly just to mess with her, and she tilted her head, meeting his gaze without flinching.

"it's alright," she shot back, shrugging casually as john b tied the hms pogue to the alp with a laugh, and jj reached out a hand toward her.

"come on, princess," he said, his voice low and teasing, and he took her hand in his. but instead of simply helping her onto the boat, he pulled her forward with a force, her body colliding into his chest. their skin touched, and valentina felt a jolt of warmth where his hand rested on her waist. "you know, if you ever want a taste..."

"sorry, i don't eat fast food." she tilted her head, lips twitching, and sarah snickered as she watched them.

"fast food?" jj pretended to look offended, his hand going to his chest. "i'm more like a five-course meal, baby."

"shut up." sarah's laugh broke through their exchange as she stepped onto the boat behind the girl. "god, jj, do you even hear yourself? enough with the corny pick up lines."

"i don't need pickup lines,," he shot back, flashing sarah a grin before turning his attention back to valentina. "right vee? my natural charm speaks for itself."

the brunette rolled her eyes but didn't lose her smile. "oh, yeah. it's practically screaming." she leaned back a little , letting her eyes rake over him again. "like a fucking toddler throwing a tantrum."

"careful, val. his ego's fragile. one more hit, and we'll have to throw his lifeless body overboard." john b snorted, and jj turned to him with a mock glare.

"man, this is confidence, i mean look at me" he waved his hand over his body. "you would die to have this body, bro. just own it."

valentina chuckled, clearly enjoying herself. "don't feel bad, b. your abs are tea too," she turned to jj, her hand hovering near his stomach, and she bit her lip to prevent herself from giggling at the words leaving her lips. "speaking of... are these even real?"

she knew exactly what she was doing, and jj grinned, grabbing her hand and placing it against his chest.

"go ahead, princess. give them a feel."

the girl pressed her fingers against his stomach, nodding with mock seriousness. "huh. i guess they are real. good for you, jj."

"you two are so weird." john b rolled his eyes, dropping onto one of the seats as sarah giggled at the move her best friend just pulled.

"hey, i'm killing it," jj argued, shooting valentina a wink. "that's called foreplay. you wouldn't get it."

"bold of you to assume you'd make it that far," valentina shot back. "but i'll give you credit- your confidence is almost as big as your mouth."

"i can think of something bigger." the blonde boy murmured with a wicked grin, earning a loud groan from sarah and a smack from john b.

"bro, can you shut up?" john b snapped while valentina stiffened a giggle, before he looked at something behind her with wide eyes. "pope's here."

the girl was about to turn and wave at the boy when jj stepped into her line of sight, blocking her vision with an annoyingly sweet smile.

"wait- can you grab me a drink from down there?" he asked, nodding toward the cabin, and she shot him a skeptical look.

"why? the fuck?"

"because i'm hot?" he replied, raising an eyebrow as if that was reason enough.

she rolled her eyes, pausing for a moment to decide if she wanted to humor him, before sighing dramatically.

"fine, whatever," she muttered, opening the hatch and heading downstairs.

after a moment, sarah appeared behind her, stepping into the cabin with a huff. "what are you even looking for?"

"i don't know, a drink?" she muttered, rummaging through the small fridge. before sarah could respond, the hatch suddenly slammed shut, and both girls whipped around to the sound.

"what the fuck?" valentina exclaimed, rushing to the door. she grabbed the handle and yanked, but it wouldn't budge.

sarah crossed her arms, her expression equal parts annoyed and amused. "i swear to god, if this is one of their stupid-"

"of course it is!" the other girl cut her off, banging on the door with her fist. "jj! open this door right now, or i'll-"

"you'll what? i'm dying to hear this." from outside, his muffled laugh was unmistakable.

"kill you!" she yelled back.

"bonding time, ladies!" jj called through the door, ignoring her threat.

"bonding time?" valentina repeated in disbelief, looking at sarah, who shrugged and rolled her eyes. she let out a frustrated groan, pressing her hand against the door. "jj maybank, i swear to god, if you don't open this door-"

suddenly, the hatch swung open, and kiara stood at the top, her eyes wide with surprise.

"wait, what?"

"what the fuck!" valentina shrieked, climbing out of the cabin just in time to see jj and john b swim towards pope, who waited patiently for the two boys in his boat.

the three girls sprinted toward the back of the boat, their frustration palpable.

"guys? are you serious right now?" sarah yelled, waving her arms dramatically.

"are you joking?!" kiara shouted, her voice an octave higher than usual.

valentina, however, stayed silent, pinching the bridge of her nose in utter exasperation. regret coursed through her as she mentally retraced every questionable decision that had led her to this moment. she turned back toward the cabin, muttering under her breath, "i'm gonna kill myself."

"get your asses back here!" kiara yelled at the boys, who were already halfway across the marsh.

"we can't!" john b shouted back, laughing. "not until you guys figure this out!"

the carrera girl  threw her hands in the air. "i will kill every single one of you!"

"you can't just leave!" sarah added, her tone equally furious.

valentina walked back toward her bag, pulling out her vape with a resigned sigh. she inhaled deeply, watching the chaos unfold like it was a poorly scripted soap.

"there's food in the cabin!" pope yelled from the other boat, giving them an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "and jj rolled a blunt!"

"hydroponic!" the blonde chimed in with a proud grin, clearly having the time of his life.

"this is so stupid," sarah huffed, tugging off her shorts as if preparing for something drastic.

"sarah, no," valentina warned, exhaling a cloud of smoke and shaking her head.

"i would rather drown than stay here with you two," kiara grumbled, starting to remove her shorts as well.

"fine, be my guest," sarah snapped, rolling her eyes. "maybe you'll finally shut the hell up."

valentina couldn't help but snicker at the exchange. "tell her babe."

"you don't even know where you're going!" kiara exclaimed as the blonde girl stood at the edge of the boat.

"i don't care!" she yelled back before diving into the water without hesitation.

valentina groaned, watching her friend disappear beneath the surface. "dumbass," she muttered, taking another drag.

sarah popped up moments later, swimming furiously toward the three boys. "wait! john b!" she called, trying to close the gap between them.

"they're not coming back for you," kiara called out, crossing her arms.

"love you guys! bye!" john b shouted back, his voice laced with humor.

"dropping the l-bomb already, huh? crazy." valentina snickered, leaning against the railing, but her sarcastic comment was cut short by a sudden shriek from sarah, who stopped mid-swim.

"sarah?!" she leaned over the edge, eyes wide in concern.

"i got stung by a jellyfish! shit!" sarah cried, clutching her arm, and her head fell back in disbelief.

"of course you did."

"fuck!"

her eyes widened in shock as she saw the bloody mark on the blonde girls waist, panic flooding her system. without thinking, she rushed to her friend's side, helping her onto the boat.

"what the hell were you thinking?" she scolded, her voice sharp as she gently lowered sarah onto the side of the boat. "you swam right into a man-o-war!"

sarah winced, letting out a pained whimper. "shit..."

valentina shot a glare at kiara, who had muttered something under her breath. "what was that?"

"dramatic." kiara shrugged

"watch your fucking tone, kiara, before i throw you into the water myself." valentina's eyes narrowed, and kiara feigned a smile, rolling her eyes as she ignored the threat and turned to sarah.

"does it hurt?"

"now you're just asking for it." the girl stood up with a faux smile, but before she could take a step towards kiara, sarah grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

"wait, val, you know what they say..." she muttered softly, batting her lashes as she looked up at her best friend, who raised an eyebrow in confusion, tilting her head.

"what are you talking about?"

"you have to pee on me..." the blonde bit her lip and lowered her voice, and the archibald girl's face immediately contorted in disgust, and she stepped back, shaking her head violently.

"fuck no!"

"please-!"

"i'm not gonna stand here with my pussy in your face!" valentina exclaimed, her voice rising in disbelief, a look of horror plastered across her face. "no way."

sarah groaned, clearly annoyed. "come on, val, i've seen you naked plenty of times-!"

"why are you comparing seeing me naked with me peeing on you?" the girl scoffed, taking a deep breath to calm herself 'that's so not the same."

kiara, still watching the chaos unfold, seemed to have an epiphany. she turned her head slowly, cocking it toward the middle of the boat as she gestured.

"i have a better idea."

the three girls sat down, kiara with the blunt between her lips as she lit it and inhaled deeply. the smoke curled up around her, and she exhaled slowly, offering a half smile. "it's for the pain," she said matter-of-factly.

"jj, bless," sarah breathed out.

kiara was about to pass the blunt to her, but she hesitated, narrowing her eyes. "actually," she muttered, bringing it back to her lips.

the blonde shot her an irritated look, then quickly snatched the blunt out of her hand, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "really?"

with a deep inhale, the blonde took a long drag, letting the smoke fill her lungs, and valentina let out a low whistle from beside her.

"go easy," the curly haired warned, her voice tinged with mock concern. "it's jj's cousin's cripple."

but sarah wasn't listening. she puffed the smoke, her face lighting up as she basked in the calm. that was, until her body betrayed her, and she erupted into a fit of coughing.

valentina sighed, shaking her head, before grabbing the blunt from sarah's hand. she took a slow, smooth drag, watching as her best friend gasped for breath, her coughing only intensifying.

both valentina and kiara exchanged a look with pursed lips, though neither of them said anything as she continued to choke.

"damn."

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the night had settled in around them, the boat rocking gently on the water, and the girls were scattered along the edge. sarah's laughter filled the air, the only sound that broke the stillness of the evening.

"hey, guess what," sarah giggled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "would you rather...have-" she cleared her throat dramatically. "i was imagining you guys like this just now, it was pretty funny." valentina sighed, attempting to hide her annoyance, but sarah was bringing her to the edge. "would you imag- would you rather have... nipples for eyes, or eyes for nipples?" she asked, giggling softly, and valentina groaned.

"sarah..." she started, her patience wearing thin, but she pressed on.

"imagine if you get really old, and your nipples- and your boobs get saggy, and your nipples, if they were your eyes, you could see if your shoes were untied." she giggled at her own absurdity, and kiara just closed her eyes, clearly done with the nonsense.

"i only wear heels," valentina muttered under her breath, already over the whole conversation as kiara turned to sarah, raising an eyebrow.

"is this like your first time smoking or something?"

sarah's guilty expression flickered for a moment. "no..." she muttered, but it was clear even the girl herself wasn't buying it.

"liar." valentina said dryly, rolling her eyes as she took a drag from her vape. sarah shot her a look but said nothing, letting the silence settle between them for a brief moment, but of course, it didn't last long. the blonde broke the silence again, her voice more serious now.

"hey, guys-"

"oh my god, enough with the 'hey guys' bullshit," kiara interrupted, mocking her with an exaggerated sigh before turning to her. "why did you do it?"

the words hit harder than expected, and valentina's gaze flickered to sarah. the innocent, carefree mood vanished, replaced with an awkward tension. her guilty expression deepened, and she couldn't meet anyone's eyes.

"why did she do what?" valentina asked, her tone soft as she watched her best friend struggle to speak.

kiara sighed deeply, shaking her head. "we were best friends," she paused, her voice cracking slightly, and valentina rolled her eyes. "we stole beers from your dad's fridge, we watched movies together, we cried about boys. and the next thing i know, i'm watching your birthday party happen on instagram."

"it was one party,"

"you invited everybody except for me."

valentina's eyes narrowed in confusion. she knew they were close, but she had never actually known what happened between them, she figured they just got into a fight. she was tempted to ask more but stayed quiet, letting the silence stretch for a moment.

"and then you told everybody that i was the reason the party got busted," kiara continued, and valentina snickered.

"i remember that."

"okay well, who else could've called the cops?" sarah scoffed, defending herself, and kiara gave her a ridiculous look.

"you never asked." she paused. "you just let the rumor go that i was a rat." sarah fell silent again, looking at kiara through glossy eyes. "you were my best friend, and then you ghosted me, and i don't even know why!"

"damn, that's tough." valentina grimaced, but both girls ignored her.

"i mean really, what did i do?"

sarah fell quiet, her gaze turning distant as she looked up at the sky, before closing her eyes. the words she spoke next were soft, but heavy.

"you liked me."

both girls blinked, clearly confused. "what?" kiara asked, breaking the silence as she processed what sarah had just said. there was a pause before sarah swallowed thickly, as if bracing herself.

"when... people get close to me, i feel trapped," sarah said, her voice breaking slightly. she licked her lips nervously. "and, i bail." she let out a shaky breath, the weight of her own words settling on her. "and then i blame them for it."

"oh," kiara's expression softened, confusion and hurt mingling in her eyes. "you never did that to val though."

at that, valentina's gaze flickered away, biting her lips awkwardly.

"that's because she never stopped trying with me," sarah continued, her voice quiet but sincere. she looked at her best friend with a sad smile, her gaze carrying an emotion valentina hadn't really seen before. "she wouldn't let me go. she knew what i was doing, and pushed back harder."

"i am such a good friend." the girl praised herself, half-joking- half-serious, and kiara turned towards her with a ridiculous look, her previous sadness turning into anger.

"you know what, val? i always thought you hated me. every time i got close to sarah, it was like you were mad at me for it. like you didn't want me around her."

valentina froze for a second, her expression unreadable before her jaw clenched, and when she spoke, her voice was low and trembling with barely-contained fury.

"hated you?" she echoed, letting out a humorless laugh.  "you think i hated you because you were close to sarah? are you out of your fucking mind?"

"well, did you?" the other girl shot back, crossing her arms. "you always had this attitude, like you didn't want me anywhere near you two."

"oh, please," valentina snapped, rolling her eyes. "i didn't have the energy to hate you, kie. believe it or not, my life doesn't revolve around your feelings."

"oh, we know you don't care about anyone's feelings, you're selfish." kiara spat, and valentina's eyes widened at this, her words cutting like a knife in her chest. she looked at the girl for a moment as she tried her hardest to push her tears back. "you only care about yourself, and you made that clear when i came into sarah's life."

"kiara!" the blonde scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief, but valentina placed a hand on hers to shut her up.

"are you serious right now?" she spat, her voice trembling with a mix of fury and hurt. "you think i had time to give a fuck about you and sarah hanging out? you think i was sitting around, plotting against you two like some jealous bitch?"

kiara blinked, stunned by the venom in her tone, but the girl didn't stop.

"i wasn't mad at you for being close to sarah. i didn't have the luxury of caring about who sarah was spending time with! because while you two were laughing and stealing beers, i was busy watching my fucking mother disappear and die!"

the silence that followed was deafening. kiara looked stricken, her mouth opening and closing like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words, and valentina's chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, her face flushed with anger and pain while sarah placed a comforting hand on her thigh.

kiara opened her mouth to respond, but valentina cut her off, inching closer with fire in her eyes. "iwas trying to figure out what happened to my mother, while planning her funeral- alone-  but nooo," she dragged the word out, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "let's focus on how i made queen kie feel left out, huh?"

kiara's face fell, guilt flickering across her features. "val, i didn't know.-"

"of course you didn't," she cut in, her tone sharp. "because you didn't bother to ask. did it ever occur to you that maybe i was dealing with something bigger than your little insecurities?" she shook her head slightly, her brows furrowing in confusion. "and by the way, pope told me you never fucking liked me- even before you befriended sarah- so stop with the bullshit."

the tension was thick, the carrera girl looking like she'd been slapped, and valentina let out a bitter scoff, her voice dripping with disdain.

"i'm going to bed," she muttered, pushing herself up and pressing a soft kiss to the top of sarah's head. "sorry." she added quietly, her tone clipped but genuine.

sarah didn't try to stop her—she knew better. her best friend needed space to cool down, and she respected that. the two stayed silent, their eyes following valentina as she walked toward the far end of the deck without another word.

in that moment, the distance between the three of them felt more palpable than ever, and yet, there was a small flicker of understanding. they didn't have answers, and they didn't have solutions. but at least for once, they were being honest with each other.

🪷 . . . MAISSA !
hi angelllsss

i didn't really know what to do with kie & val cuz val doesn't beef like that but wtv....

love you allllllll💌